Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Red Sox, A's To Discuss Andrew Bailey

Since Jonathan Papelbon has left, the Red Sox do have a vacancy at the closer position. They have yet to be really aggressive (that we know of) at acquiring a closer. However, some reports have surfaced that the Red Sox will meet with the A's regarding trade possibilities for closer Andrew Bailey. Bailey had his third straight solid year as the A's closer, going 0-4/3.24/41 as well as racking up 24 saves in 26 chances. While his ERA of 3.24 was higher than his stellar marks of 1.47 and 1.84 in 2010 and 2009, respectively, don't be alarmed. His FIP (a more advanced and accurate statistic regarding pitchers) was pretty much on line with the rest of his seasons as he put up FIP's of 2.56, 2.96, and 2.86 in 2009, 2010, and 2011, respectively. Bailey would be a proven closer that could fill in for Papelbon while Daniel Bard stayed right where he was, or converted to a starter. I would be happy if the Red Sox traded for Bailey, but we can't give up too much because we do have a potential closer in the wings.